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In Fr. Peter Daly’s article (Catholic Herald September 16, 2010) on the intolerance that some Americans have for Muslims, he describes his cordial relationship with his Imam neighbor who gave him a copy of the Koran. Father Daly urges Americans not to blame Muslims for the actions of terrorists associated with Islam, saying, “We are not at war with Islam; we are at war with terrorists.”

Did Father Daly read the Koran that he received? Does he understand the teachings of the Shahada, the Islamic creed?

How can Father Daly, as a priest, compare the life of sacrifice of our Savior with the life of Mohammed, who spent his life killing and enslaving those who did not swear fidelity to him as the ultimate messenger from God? How can Father Daly promote Islam as a peaceful religion and simultaneously ignore the teachings of Mohammed that command Muslims to arrive at peace by killing or enslaving all who do not convert to Islam?

Just as there are cafeteria Catholics who pick and choose to follow tenants of their faith which are convenient and ignore tenants of their faith which they do not want to accept, there are Muslims who do the same, usually referred to as moderates. But, Islam is not a religion that can live in tolerance of other religions; its founding tenants forbid that.

It is the misunderstanding of Islam, not only by Father Daly, but by leaders in the U.S. government, that led this country to take action on the world stage with the mistaken belief that Islam is a religion comparable to other religions. Islam is not just a religion; it is a system of governance and commerce that for 1,400 years has shown to be incompatible with democracy or self-governance.